Kenza

Not my cup of tea.

I will say that an Arabic cover of Imagine was not what I expected. The album itself is fine, it's very different from everything I've had before here and not quite to my taste, but it was enjoyable enough. Ultimately I have to let my inability to understand the language pull it down.

Reminds me of sitting in the back of a cab in NYC. I mean I respect it but I can't imagine listening to this regularly as it's not really part of my culture. Sounds like classic North African music with some minor disco/pop mixed it. 4/10.

I had no idea what to expect from this but I enjoyed listening to this one. Kind of poppy, kind of funky...nice.

This was a good palate cleanser. Although I understand none of lyrics the vibes do not lie. The production on this was gas. There are few iffies on here no doubt but I enjoyed listening to this. 3.50/5

Not something I would listen to really. 1/5

Second half better than the first. Sounded overproduced to me.

4 star just for imagine cover. Loved that.

I skimmed through this one. Sorry, not sorry. I get the overall vibe, but I don't think I have the patience to sit through all hour and 20 minutes of this album. The man seems massively popular and good for him. There seemed like a couple of fun tracks in there as well as a random cover of Imagine, which is a little ick, IMO. Not bad, but outside my frame of reference. 2.5/5

The cover of "Imagine" was a disgrace to my ears, but the rest wasn't bad.

Artiste inconnu. Original par rapport à ce que j'écoute habituellement, mais beaucoup trop long et lassant quand la découverte s'estompe. Je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. =>1/5

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Khaled, how he has sold as many records as UB40, is basically king of Middle Eastern pop music, and uhhhhhh yeah that's all I could find out about him. Glad to see this list isn't just euro/american-centric. I love hearing music from countries that most of us fellow American cannot find on a map (I can find Algeria on a map though, it has a distinct shape). Let's hear it: It's interesting to hear a lot of western influence on this record, while still maintaining the Rai identity: at points on this album you can hear R&B, blues, latin, even some 90s electronic touches on it. There's like maybe one line in English, on the Imagine cover, while most of the songs are in Arabic save for one or two in French. Khaled is definitely a very good, powerful singer. I think it's important to hear from artists like Khaled to truly understand music as a global art form, rather than our skewed perspective on it from Western Culture (which in turn, was influenced from Eastern Culture a very long time ago, I digress). Is it truly "must hear before you die?", I mean I don't know his other records, and whether or not they were more influential perhaps if they were in Algeria or among the Arab-French community, but this is at least a good example of Rai and Middle Eastern pop music for us Western, typically English speaking folk to get a grasp of his music. It's good to step outside your comfort zone in music, it's something I don't see enough when people listen to music. Did I enjoy this album? Kind of. I'm very appreciative to hear it, it partially matches my own music sensibilities, but a record like this goes to more of the curious music hobbyists. You might not be let down to hear this.

Not bad but man Khaled, make this two albums or edit this, it's so long.

I found myself tapping my toes to the music. No, that Imagine cover is like an odd karaoke thing. Seems like a well constructed pop album for 1999. His voice doesn't seem that strong.

Nah

I know bugger all about Algerian music, and although I enjoyed Khaled's voice on some tracks, it was a bit long and the poppies stuff didn't really appeal to me.

Musica araba, orecchiabile

It's difficult to have a reference point to judge this from. I can't tell if it's innovative or important for the genre as a whole, so this is based purely on vibes. I will say that the "Imagine" cover is ill-conceived. The album started to lose its charm as it went on. 1 hour and 18 minutes is just too long. Had this been 40 minutes then I'd probably have enjoyed it a touch more.

Parts of this were super interesting, but some were also very meh

That was a pretty cool. I heard a bunch of Proto drum and bass and other influences they wouldn't normally expect when they composer of that era in that language.

Bem tosco, e não digo isso por conta do idioma. Não ligo pra música estrangeira, tenho a mente aberta quanto a isso. Mas não tenho mente aberta quanto a música brega, esdrúxula, tosca, com vibe de karaokê com aquele tio e aquela prima bêbados. E pra piorar a comparação com um karaokê meia-boca, o cara ainda teve a pachorra de colocar um cover de Imagine no seu disco! Que absurdo… “and no religion too” vindo de um muçulmano! Chega ser hilário. Não é à toa que ao pesquisar o nome dele rapidamente vi que muitos islâmicos querem sua cabeça! O que não é hilário é que esse projeto fez eu gastar 1 hora do meu sábado ouvindo esse álbum. Isso não tem graça nenhuma. Nas horas que ele emprega uma instrumentalização mais tradicional, como na canção Trigue Lycee, o álbum até passa a ser mais agradável. Mas na maioria das canções aqui, o artista decide diluir a tradição com um pop bem deslocado, uma mescla de gêneros. E a música aguada e diluída não me desce. Vou fazer uma analogia, sabe quando você era criança e queria brincar de cientista, e então pegava todos os líquidos da casa (detergente, pasta de dente, sabonete líquido, óleo de soja, etc) e misturava em um frasco, ou copo? O resultado era sempre aquela substância escura, cinza, esfumaçada, viscosa e absolutamente nojenta. Isso é esse disco. É louvável a variedade musical apresentada aqui? O casamento de tantos gêneros e influências ocidentais? Claro, pô, não serei hipócrita, isso é algo que eu verdadeiramente aprecio neste disco… Mas eu preferiria um álbum mais coeso e conciso de Rai tradicional com vocais bem empregados e – mais importante de tudo – com uma duração mais manuseável. Não foi isso que o artista fez e não foi isso que eu ouvi, mas poderia ter sido bem pior. 1.5/5

This was very fun for the first two songs and C'Est La Nuit was incredibly sweet and wistful. Things took a downturn with his version of Imagine (inevitably, as I don't like the song itself) and the rest were quite samey for the most part, but Raba-Raba and Derwiche Tourneur were great.

This was pretty boring. I’d never heard of Khaled so was curious. The result was a bland and lifeless album. The cover of Imagine didn’t do it any favours either. Not essential to hear before death.

I never would've imagined I'd like this half as much as I did. This is what this project is for!

Necessary but not for me

I wish I had taken the time to look up lyric translations as that might have affected the rating, but oh well.

Not my usual but exactly why I’m doing this project. Well produced but seemed pretty generic, although grew on me marginally as it went on. Point deducted for the Imagine cover..

I found myself quite enjoying the vibe, but the Imagine cover version should never have happened. There are some songs you just don't touch.

Like the arrival lounge at an international airport with one very cheerful cabbie.

This was unexpectedly cool. Sort of modern Arabic music which was really cool. I really vibe with listening to people sing in Arabic, it just sounds so interesting. I really liked pretty much everything about this except it’s possibly 20 or minutes too long

Background music in a Middle Eastern restaurant. Rubbish.

Who knew Arabic music could be so dynamite? I had a blast listening to it. The track "El Harba Wine" is the bomb. Ethnic music blah

The first track on this album was a BANGER. I really love the rhythms of this genre, definitely moving my head to the beat on a lot of tracks. Others felt well-executed by extraordinary generic in their approach.

Eventually put it on in the evening...and it's basically crap. I think it might be worse than that though...the most charitable reading is that one of the list's curators is just a personal fan of this mediocre Afro pop album. Unfortunately, what is more likely is that it's a misdirected attempt to make the list a bit more exotic. However, when you could pick other, far superior, Algerian acts such as Tinariwen or Imarhan but pick this trash instead, your tokenism is laid bare. It's a bit like wanting to include a Welsh album but picking Stereophonics over SFA, Manics or Mclusky.

Boring

A nice change of pace but it loses a star for covering Imagine and gains one for not being in English. Didn’t enjoy.

I had fun listening to this. Not something I would have found on my own which is what I hope for every time. The album is at its best when it is indulging its funky, soulful tendencies, or embracing its North African heritage. The cover of Imagine is just bad, sorry. Lennon barely made that song work. He primarily got away with it simply because he was John Lennon. Anyone else who sings that song will always call more attention to its faults. The "Raï" sound is pretty cool, for the periods where it's not smothered by cheesy 90s style production and instrumentation. Khaled has a really nice voice but he is straying into boyband territory with too great a regularity for me to want to listen to this again. This is more of a problem with the front half of the album but it is such a big turn off that it spoils the whole thing for me a little bit. The whole thing runs on slightly too long as well. Overall, I'm glad I heard it but I doubt I will be returning or seeking out any more of Khaled's albums.

Algerische Rai Musik

Glad to be exposed to something different, perhaps with more experience, I would appreciate it more. But, too many pop elements that don't work for me

Bastante graciosete

Mind literally blown! Only a 4 because I’ll never be able to sing along 😭😭

This was good to journal to in the background but that’s mostly cuz then I didn’t have to focus on it at all. It was mostly boring and kinda painful to get through the full almost 80 minutes of French-Arabic music. I didn’t understand any of it (apart from a little segment of a random Lennon Imagine cover) but the music backing it all got real monotonous and was not very interesting in the first place. I don’t know, just not my thing. Probably not many people’s thing in the western world, but alas that’s just nurture for you.

Day629 - take out that awful imagine cover and it gets an extra star

Not for me

Pretty enjoyable! Until imagine lol Dug the Arabic singing

My ignorant opinion is that it sounds like a Bollywood soundtrack with a varied mix of influences. Western and otherwise. The truth is I'm probably only noticing the eccentric similarities between the Indian ragas and the middle eastern maqamat. Music nerds will appreciate that rabbit hole. This is my first time listening to the genre with intent, and I felt a little bit let down by the incredibly broad influence. I was hoping for something with more of its own culture, but ended up with a LOT of '90s technology advancement production techniques, influences from all over the world, a lot of western culture, but a lot of latin influence as well. A bit of digging, and that's a recent standard for the genre. I felt moments where the influence was stronger than the talent or the understanding of the base, just to really pull it off. I can appreciate the Algerian people can be exposed to these other influences, but I'm not sure it was a necessary listen for me with my general knowledge of music. OR, maybe this is one of the most solid renditions of the genre in modern times. We need some contrast to understand better. There's a couple of really good songs that stand firm on their own. There's a lot I could do without. The "Imagine" cover is something I can appreciate being reinvented in any language, but only for the benefit of others, you know? I'm not the one needing it. 2.7/5

It's pretty good. I couldn't understand anything, but it was different. Favourite Track(s): E'Dir E'Sseba Least Favourite Track(s): Imagine

I'm glad I was exposed to the style. I probably won't listen to it again, but it was worth doing once. And unlike everyone else here, I actually liked the cover of Imagine

no, don't hurt me like this again, generator.

I wrote a whole review and then it didn't save because it was already past time and I was writing it as I was going and that is honestly the cherry on top for this album because I wanted to be done. I respect it, but no, sorry.

I always enjoy hearing more world music. This was fun.

Nie słuchałbym

Absolutely not.

This is probably the furthest out of my musical realm of 99 albums so far. I've never heard, or heard of Rai music. The Imagine cover surprised me. I will almost certainly never listen to this again but that doesn't mean it wasn't somewhat enjoyable!

This is actually quite fun. Imagine aside, this was an enjoyable deviation from my usual, and a some very good beats on this.

I really like when world music comes up here, such a nice change of pace… and this is no exception!

Enjoyed it. Surprisingly poppy and it zips along with hardly a dud track apart from the Imagine cover.... Not sure i will return but glad I listened.

Kenza He’s sold 80 million albums! Shows how anglo-centric my music knowledge is. I’m not sure what to make of it. I know nothing of Raï, but reading about it apparently this is an ‘accessible’ album with elements of western pop, reggae, funk etc. Without knowing his back catalogue or the context I don’t know how accurate that is, but it does feel like those western elements are pretty generic and with the production and playing feeling very very professional polished session musician the whole thing feels like it has been pulled in a very MOR direction - the wah on Trigue Lycee, the bad funk of E’dir E’sseba, the salsa of Gouloulha-Dji - and feels much the worse for it. And let’s not speak of the cover of Imagine (although it's certainly not the worst version I’ve heard) I assume the intention was to make a crossover album and it may not be a reflection of Raï and his other records, but that polished, cheesy sound does take away from the best bits; the vocal melodies, the North African strings and the traditional instruments, as on Aâlach Tioumini or Ya Aâchkou, that sneak their way in amongst the 5 string basses and keyboards. And it works best for me on what I assume is the most traditional sounding song, Mele H’bibti. I’m glad this came up as it's a genre I’d never heard of and I’m interested in finding out a bit more about it and Khaled too, but I’m uncertain how to rate it. I’m reluctant to give it a 2 due to ignorance of him and the genre, but the cheesiness of the western elements, and its length does put it in that area. However I think there’s enough in the good bits to make me think about listening again, so I think I’ll just sneak it to a low 3. 💎💎💎 Playlist submission: Mele H’bibti

One of the issues is its attempt to throw all sorts of 'cool' or 'urban' styles into the mix and the results very varied. That opening track for instance has a reggae beat. But later on it takes in drum n bass (in 'Melha'), salsa (Gouloulha-Dji'), or even Reggaeton ('Raba-Raba'). The album cover is intriguing - I'd love to know what's grabbed his attention from the Datsun Cherry (note the door-mounted ashtray). In fact this album sounds like someone's taken the spiritual Qawallies of Nusrat Fateh Khan and tried to prepare it for Eurovision. The production is dated and it often descends into 'subar markit' music. The most successful track is the one that closest resembles Khan 'Derwiche Tourneur' which is not trying to crowbar in 90s pop, sounds more traditional yet still with energy, and benefits as a result. And so it goes on, trying to introduce different production styles but always remaining very kitsch and very dated (Ed. I've just found out this guy's sold 80m fucking albums!!). A couple of jaunty numbers in there give it some merit.

Loved this album! Something I would have never listened to on my own.

This is a 3+ for me. I can't really get past the Arabic (and French, and ?) lyrics, but the music is really interesting.

Ik ken Khaled enkel van C'est La Vie, maar ik vond ook wel dat het daar mocht blijven. 1.3

it's ok. Not particularly great with some enjoyable parts but largely uninteresting to me.

Nice to have some variation from all the rock music. I mean Imagine was a surprise but in general this was reasonable

I appreciate the voice, but I didn't translate the lyrics, so there's an important piece I'm not connecting to (though I suspect it would only help a little). That said, it's clearly pop music — an almost universal vibe. Unfortunately for Khaled's Kenza, that artistic direction, heading into the generic, risks turning away listeners like me. Tracks like "Melha" and "Raba-Raba" feel more culturally specific (even if updated into a pop context) and are among the more engaging moments. Ultimately, the cover of Lennon's "Imagine" and some of the slower tunes drag down an album that, while I was open to it, rapidly became tedious.

Top track: Ya Aachkou

Cool vibe. Not something I'd seek out often but enjoyed it.

Pretty eclectic album, some good funky moments. Worst part: cheesy Imagine cover. Overall, a good listen.

Fireee

The beats and instruments are very good. Unfortunately I don’t speak the language that the songs are written in, so I’m sure I’m missing a lot, but pleasant to listen to. The cover of Imagine was quite good

DNF- will have to try again, not in the mood for this type today.

No idea what the songs are about as they're either in French or Algerian, which I don't speak. But great music, I can hear many different influences in there, and couldn't stop my toes from tapping

Didn’t like

loveee this. very recognisable sounds but the percussion and strings are so nice ! also some of the songs on this album have me feeling a bit emotional ! idk great album overall.

Exposure to something new! C'est la Nuit and El Bab went right onto the 1001 Keepers playlist. Some songs just went buy without grabbing much interest. This is a three for me, but really glad I heard it.

Not bad

The cover really doesn't contribute to the storyline here.

Algerian singer-songwriter. Quite poppy and upbeat.

New to me! (I know...) World music at a very high level

Wasn't sure how I felt. Deserves more listens. Will revisit

World music in multiple languages +1.

Mid asf

There's just something about Middle Eastern music that brightens my mood. I don't know what it is, but I like it.

I just couldn’t get into the style but appreciated the complexity of the compositions.

Not in the mood for this.

I love northern African music, the mesmerizing rhythms of the desert. According to Wikipedia, this genre is “rai.” Khaled (not to be confused with the current DJ Khaled, which I was guilty of,) Khaled is Algerian and sings in Arabic and French. Some numbers had me swaying my hips and shaking my shoulders, channeling some sort of long-ago heritage that knows these sounds. Unfortunately, Khaled went a little too crossover for my taste here on a number of tracks, most egregiously on a terrible cover of “Imagine.” His dancefloor numbers are infectious; the rest didn’t distinguish itself to me.

Better than dj khaled but this isn’t for me

It's fun. I like fun. However, a cover of "Imagine" automatically drops this album a bit. Would buy on CD though

I enjoyed this. Lots of great funky grooves. Like a lot of albums from the CD era it's probably about 15-20 minutes too long, though. Throw this on at your next family function to piss off your MAGA relatives.

Although I didn't understand the language I still enjoyed this album quite a bit

My mom used to have C'est la nuit and Aicha on a CD which she took on every road trip. This sounds like being 6 years old to me. The imagine cover was silly, but some of these I like. They all blend and can be a bit cheesy and repetitive. However, it's good mood music on the post part. El Bab was my favourite. Not good for every mood but I liked it. 2.5/3

Outstayed its welcome by an hour or so, but made for unexciting background music by the end. It went through several styles, all of them a bit mid. I guess two stars feels fair.

Uh Algerian pop music? Why tf is this on this list???

I’ve never heard of Khaled, or this album before, but I’ve seen the cover on the checklist, and I’ve been curious as to what the story is with this album. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any Algerian music before, so I have no idea what I’m going to be in for. There’s no time like the present to dive into Kenza! I thought this album was excellent, and I had a blast listening to it. Every song felt like a beautifully crafted pop song, and even though I have no idea what the lyrics were about, the sound on Kenza was so well crafted that I found it incredibly accessible to listen to. The bass playing was fantastic throughout the album, and the bass grooves gave me something to immediately focus my attention on during each song, which really helped me have something to latch on to with my ears. The sound on Kenza was varied, but those bass grooves really held everything together, creating a really cohesive sound. The beats, hooks, and melodies were incredibly enjoyable, and I was really excited to hear what was coming next. There was a good mixture of tempos on this album as well, and I thought that Khaled did a great job with both the slower ballads, and the more upbeat, dance-y songs as well. The only complaint that I have with this album is that it was a bit long, but “Raba-Raba” was the only song that bored me. As for picking a favorite song from this album, I think I’d have to go with “El Bab,” with its booming bass, funky synths, and high-energy vocals. Kenza was a really fun discovery, and yet another reminder of why I started this project.

I mean what is there to say really? Such a hard album to rate. Stopped listening after 2 songs and won't again but I'm sure it's great. 4/10 (2/5)

Like wading through cheese.

MOR, but the the R is for Rai

I had some of the same problems with this as I did with the Ananda Shankar release recently. I didn't like the versions of Western songs (Imagine was pretty bad), or the Algerian songs with more Western production and would have just preferred Algerian music. Khaled has a listenable voice, though.

I got as far as the Imagine cover and then decided none of this was for me. I was into the first song that had the Arabic sounds to it. But then it turned to boring soft rock.

Impossible to give this any other score. It's all over the bloody place. It's way too long and incoherent but has a lot of interesting tracks most of which I can't remember apart from Trigue Lycee and El. Aadyene. The Imagine cover was a particular low point and made no bloody sense.

Hmmm. This was better than I feared it was gonna be, it was an interesting listen, a lot of rhythms I don't hear in a lot of my usual music, but (and I am aware this is my fault) I can't connect with songs where I don't know what they're singing about. Perhaps if it was nonsense (I am the walrus style) it's be ok, but I have to assume they are trying to put across a message and I've no idea what it is. There fore I can't mark this particularly high, but I didn't dislike it, so 2 seems harsh. I might go low 3, but I also can't see me ever looking to listen to it again, it was fairly backgrounds, and in fact I kept getting distracted and listening to other things over the top. I dunno. High 2?

Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Arabic music ft a hindi song for one of them, great beats and instrumentals and catchy songs. 5/5

Didn't sound great on the train tbh. But there was a child crying, think I must have nodded off and had a bad dream.

Not my usual genre but enjoyable. I liked “Imagine”.

Again hard to rate when I don't get the language, which is hardly his fault. At multiple languages at that! +1 for a take on imagine that is more fun than the original. Bold move.

On one hand, I appreciated this record, and the tunes are good. On the other, it was way too long.

Don't have enought background in arab world pop to know where this stands, but certainly is pretty to listen to, with some tight oud? breaks and other nice scalar touches with that wild half steppy singing these folks are so good at.

Didn't quite dislike enough to give a 1. It's better than some other eastern-style pop music I've heard playing at restaurants before, but overall it's still just glitzy sugarcoated pop. I appreciate the blend of influences on the album, and the nice voice of the singer, but it just kinda sucks to have to listen to this whole long album.

Cover 6.5 Thankful for the introduction to this album. Although I don't think another cover of Imagine was necessary, given it doesn't significantly differ from the original. Then again, I don't understand the language, so maybe Imagine is in keeping with a theme. I don't think there are any bad songs on this album (perhaps a benefit of not understanding the language), and some actually really good ones, but it is a bit long (1 hr 18 mins). I let my player continue after the album finished and liked some of his other songs also. Great discovery.

Not a fan

Fun listen, don't quite have the ear melodically for this stuff but enjoyed it rhythmically

Better than rap I guess

Nice pop songs.

Made it to Imagine.

moderately enjoyable 👍 prob won’t become a khaled stan or anything but it was a fun listen

Not bad but nothing stood out to me

There's something I like about music where I don't know what they are saying (well, the French I know hehe). It feels nice to break away from all the English stuff And anybody who covers Imagine is cool in my books. I really love that song

Nice

I was not a fan of the covers. Perhaps a cultural bias.

Really fun! But I know I won't seek this out again 3

Wasn't the right vibe for me.

Nice music but not something I would probably listen to again

Hell yeah this is what this should be about. Some sick orchestration and instrumentation and grooves. I don’t understand the lyrics but when you’re jiving it don’t matter.

I really like African music.

Decent album.

It's ok, but honestly it just feels like mid pop with an Algerian twang

Arabic pop songs, including a cover of Lennon's Imagine. Not my cup of tea.

I am sure this is great when you understand the language, but without it I am lost and dont fully appreciate it

Good

Interesting album! Fun to hear something oriental to break the tedium. There are definitely some gems in here. I particularly liked the two few opening tracks, and especially ’Melha’ which was the top song of the album. Between the highs it definitely turned quite low at some times, with the absolute low point being the Imagine cover. Talk about meme material. Overall I was excited at first, but in the end it didn’t really continue to deliver like it set out to in the beginning.

Hard to judge a style of music you are very unfamiliar with. I enjoyed this though! Felt funky and fun. The electronic influences on "Derwiche Tourneur" stood out at something special, a bit rave-like. Strong 3.

I've never been in this type of middle eastern sound, so this album is lower for me. I do think it's interesting that he mixes in some different sounds: one track (El Habra Wine) sounds pretty Indian to me, and another track (Imagine) is a collab with a singer named Noa where she sings in Hebrew.

Suffers from the usual language barrier issues a lot of international albums on this list have, but it's catchy and cinematic enough I'm going to bump it up to a 4

Had zero expectations but was still surprised by the pop sensibilities and big horns on many of the songs - mixing with what seems like more traditional elements. A bit cheesy in parts but a nice mix up from the usual.

3-

I suspect there are experts in North African music who roll their eyes at the inclusion of this album on the list because it is quite poppy and has an entirely unnecessary cover of Imagine, but I'm a total novice and it sounds great to me just for the melodies as much as anything. Maybe it is the rhythms too because I don't particularly like the slow ones.

it took a little while but this really grew on me throughout my listen. pretty interesting all the way through which is tough for a non-english album that’s 80 minutes long. was thinking it was a 3 for most of the time but i think the last quarter brought it up to a low 4! funny to have the imagine cover in there

Never heard of this artist before, glad ti expand my listening, but not sure this is one I’d consider essential listening.

Bra men kanske inte himlastormande. Mest minnesvärd är covern på Imagine och det säger väl något. Trea

Kenza was not what i was expecting at all. This was one of the few albums where i did not scout ahead and listen to previews of the songs here so i was just expecting this to be a typical world album with the string instruments and some wind instruments. But i should have known what genre this actually was due to the pop tag with it having several contemporary pop elements. These actually made the album shockingly really good as they made these songs catchy and unique even for a world album. Khaled's voice was also great and it was a long album that didn't feel like it was dragging on so that was a plus. This was one really good album and a really nice surprise. Best Song: Mele H'Bibti Worst Song: Leili (C'Est La Nuit/Version Arabe)

Curious. Did nothing for me. I wonder if I'd understood the lyrics whether it would have made more of an impression.

I don’t know what I was expecting with this but it certainly wasn’t this sound. It’s well made and has that classic sound I would describe as Bollywood because of my ignorance to the music. I definitely wasn’t in the mood for this, which isn’t the albums fault. Really didn’t exepect Imagine to be there in the middle out of nowhere. Overall, enjoyable but not really for me, especially without subtitles.

Good 70s Middle Eastern music, but with some unnecessary covers.

I was so ready to rate this low but dammit if it didn't have me bouncing and vibing. Certainly not an everyday type of music for me but today it worked well enough to gain a star.

words cannot describe how jarring that imagine cover was in the middle of this album

i forgot to finish this but it was ok? LMAO

It’s fine, not for me

New to me, like new stuff!

This is my first step into bodega/quik mart music. And I have to say, I liked it. Im not sure Ill reach for this anytime soon because as of lately for world music Im fixated on French standards. But, when the time is right Ill delve and explore. That being said, the imagine cover wasnt that bad. Its the song right before imagine. "C'est la nuit". Totally creepy sex pest vibes. In TWO languages. Yuck.

This album was surprisingly catchy. I was expecting something that sounded very regional and traditional, but it's actually a mixture of pop, chanson, and northern african music. Pretty good. Key tracks: Aâlach Tloumouni El Harba Wine C'est la Nuit

Upbeat music that is good to work to. Would listen to some songs again. Lame I couldn't find it on any streaming platforms.

Nice eclectic mix of styles and languages, but there are better examples of each isolated and focused on in different albums by different artists.

Only able to listen to a few tracks that are available in the US. Chill

I really liked this album. Especially the B side. That “Imagine” cover is bit rough, but the creativity in the rest of the album more than makes up for it.

Hieman erikoinen sekoitus covereita länkkäribiiseistä sekä algerialaisia kappaleita. 3/5

Arabiaaan nightsss. Плюс вайб за то, что песни на арабском, а не на инглише, меня скоро начнёт от него тошнить. Культурное разнообразие эт хорошо. А чего, вторая песня вроде даже качает. Ну такое,на троечку, ибо мне пока что не дано проникнуться арабскими песнями

2 good songs, the rest I wouldn’t want to listen to again

Did my best to locate the album

Enjoyed this is as something new and totally unexpected, triggered a bit of a history lesson into Algerian culture which was fun. However not a ton of genuine enjoyability for the actual music outside of the novelty factor.

Reading up on the history of rai music has been incredibly interesting, but I’m genuinely curious if this is the best example of rai music out there? The samples and drums sound like bog standard stock sounds out of a shitty Casio keyboard. I’d be much more interested in hearing some earlier rai music rather than this more modern pop rai sound.

Both Dimery and apparently every other reviewer on this website hear this and are like, "what is this?? Bollywood?? I saw an Arab once, when I got kebab. Or when I took a taxi." Then deliver either five or one stars depending on how much mint was in the kebab. All I have to say is: why isn't Fairouz on this list. This "treasure" is more pop than anything else, kinda wild that he put a 90's western pop guitar and beats over some absolute ripping dabke. But Khaled definitely has pipes and is creative with the violin. Did you know Arabs have been making better music for literally thousands of years?

This was a fine record. I've never heard of Khaled before but I've heard his more traditional Rai stuff is great so I'll spin that sometime. He's a great singer and there's a good mix of languages and styles here. The biggest issue was the implementation of more western pop elements that come off cheesy more than anything. This is obviously from a more american perspective so it might work for some folks. I know France is guilty of this too. But yeah, I'd like to look into more Rai so I can have a better informed opinion. But cool stuff!

Too long. I was done with it halfway through. And I could do without the extra-sappy cover of Imagine. Otherwise ok. 2.5

This wasn't available on Spotify.

I liked it. Not the easiest of the international albums to listen too. It never seemed to flow right. But, there are some fun songs on here and I appreciated it being included. 3/5 Might listen again

Hard to enjoy without knowing the words. Works as background music maybe.

? what 2/5

Cheesy pop music, but at least I can say I've listened to an Algerian album, even though I can't say I enjoyed it much. I did hear some "Jungle Hijinx" in there, and some more "Donkey Kong" style beats. It had its moments, but is a prime example of a bloated, slog of an album. Favorite Track: "Trigue Lycee"

I did enjoy KENZA, while not convinced that it was an essential album of the 1990s. It was a pleasure to get a change of pace from yet another boring singer/songwriter album from the 60s/70s/Nick Cave.

Había escuchado algunas bandas sonoras argelinas pero nunca me había acercado al pop de este país, el Raï. Me he llevado una sorpresa tremenda con este disco, que está plagado de funk e, incluso, toques de música latina. Además, tiene una versión en árabe de Imagine. Tremendo carisma. 3'5/5

There must be better arabic-styled music out there that is better than this? Feels like a mediocre addition to a list crowded with western rock. Other than that, vibed with Khaled

It's refreshing to hear an album from the non-Anglo world. I think it is the first Arabic album on this challenge and I liked the sound and the mix of Algerian and French singing. It is interesting to know what pop music sounds like in the other part of the world. The album is too long, however, which is almost 80 minutes long (it was typical in the late 90s/early 00s CD era).

Um disco confuso pela abundância de estilos que se serve da base árabe. Uma tentativa de fazer música Pop multicultural que não funciona, apesar dos momentos agradáveis proporcionados por metais, piano e outros elementos ocidentais. Funk, Flamenco, Caribe, Jazz, DJ, eletrônica, música francesa soam como uma colcha de retalhos, sem sentido. Fraco!

Find this impossible to judge fairly as it’s not bad but I can’t tell if it’s good either It’s probably a 3 but loses a star for imagine

No thanks

Иногда проскакивают элементы нормальной музыки, чего нельзя сказать про вокал

5/10… average pop / world music

Well after finally finding a place to listen to this album (thanks YouTube), this just isn't for me.

𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘻𝘢 is an enjoyable listen, filled with Khaled’s warm voice and infectious melodies. The album blends traditional raï with pop and global sounds, creating a smooth and accessible vibe. However, without deeper knowledge of raï or other Maghreb pop artists, it’s hard for me to fully place this album in context or appreciate its impact within the genre. It sounds good, but I don’t yet have the comparisons to say how special it really is. A solid introduction — nothing more, nothing less.

It's really fascinating that that's what pop music sounds on the other side of the ocean. I loved the guy's voice and the instrumentation. Some songs had some really kickass strings and others had some kickass synths. The one major problem that brings it down for me is how bloated it is. This album could've been 30 minutes long and be near perfect. Instead it's 78 and drags towards the end. Don't be me, listen to this in two sittings.

Alright, world music detour, let’s go. Except… eh. I appreciate the culture behind it, but this didn’t hit the sweet spot for me. Took a bit of effort to track this one down too (not on Spotify), and the payoff wasn’t quite worth the hunt. Props for the spirit though. Spins: 1 No Spotify, No Playlist Additions

Unavailable on Spotify and You tube. Listened to Sahra, his 1996 album instead

Amazing as everything by Khaled, although a bit more poppy than I'd like.

Interesting fusion between oriental and western music Some cool ones really!

Multiple varieties of liveliness

ngl didn’t see that arabic “imagine” cover coming

Never heard of this record or artist before but I love it. So nice to hear some different scales. Thought it would lose marks for Imagine, but ut was actually a very cool cover. It's maybe not the most congruent album, but it's a varied and enjoyable ride.

This was fun as hell. I was about to give it a 2 after the first couple of melodramatic tracks but then he dropped an english cover of Imagine and I was on board. Maybe if I looked at the lyrics it would rate higher, but the vibes were great. 3 Stars.

The beats and music behind this is undeniable bangers. Straight up grooves.

Interesting to listen to

Couldn't get into it

2.5 stars, enjoyed some parts of the music that was really jazz influenced.

all are bangers, should get

I remember Rai music having a moment back then. This is a real discovery, loved it (skipping the cover of Imagine) - lots of different feels and moods, but a lot of great tracks too.

Algerian pop music is as bad as you would think it is, extra star for the cover version of Imagine

Probably good. I have no point of reference really. He seems like an Algerian Marc Anthony maybe? It started out as a good enough dance album. Then he did an awful cover of Imagine. And then some songs got crooner-y and sentimental. I have some Indian friends who love him.

Fun but gets a little repetitive

Enjoyed very much. Can’t sit still music.

Enfin un album de musique arabe (et pas juste avec des influences appropriées). De belles mélodies, une belle voix, grande charge émotive, production léchée.

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would!

It was alright. Background music for a döner shop

Not my style or language. Really bad

This was awesome! The music was so good. There were so many influences from all over the world, and it was all really well done. A few songs that I added to my playlists. I very pleasant surprise.

This is the grooviest world music I have heard so far on the 1001 list. I am not sure what specific aspects of the album make it great, but I enjoyed the overall vibe. It seemed like a late 70's soundtrack in a good way. Quite fun.

This was a fun album overall. I found myself grooving along to most tracks, but there were a few misses that kind of dropped this down to an even 4 out of 5. Had to go find a playlist on YouTube full of the songs, because Spotify did not have the album as of my listen.

Couldn't find it to rate it.

The music was nice. Can't comment on the lyrics. Generally ok.

Couldn't find the album but liked the songs i could find

Kenza not available on Spotify, so this rating is for a general playlist of Khaled's music.

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Artwork: 🧔‍♂️🤵‍♂️🚗 Production: 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🎤⚠️😖 Rating: 🪔/5

Album not available in spotify

Yeah not really my thing

Listened to in a YouTube playlist with incessant ads, so I have no idea if I actually liked it, but I think I did

Not my normal listening fair, but it was alright, kinda catchy. I especially like the song "C'est la nuit"

Bubbly, but cheesy. I'm sure there's a foodstuff that applies to, but I won't lower myself to picking one. The North African elements are charming. It is the late-90s pop production that lets it down. Perhaps there is something in it. It's hard to know at such a cultural remove. Is the music witty? Sexy? Satirical? Eccentric? The only way in for me is through the cover of Imagine. All covers of Imagine are a mistake, like plagiarising a birthday wish, but the fact that this artist chose to record it straight-faced, as a duet, suggests a guileless sincerity that might be off-putting if I understood the lyrics or the musical conventions. 2 This took a bit of getting into. Just as I was getting my bearings Khaled‘s cover of Imagine happened and I had to mentally reset. I started rising above the temptation to decry Pound-Shop George Michael backing tracks with ‘Ya Aachkou’. From here I began to appreciate the fabulously ornate vocal lines, doubled and tripled luxuriously by strings or flute or accordion and the fun of the vocal glissandos and the rolled ‘R’s . Truthfully these backing tracks sound quite expensive and even interesting sometimes (I loved the texture of whatever combination is happening at the start of El Bab) even if I probably prefer it when the cheesy electronic beats are dumped for real percussion (Raba-Raba). There is certainly too much of everything, especially cheesy beats, over the course of a ludicrous 78 minutes. But I am giving extra credit to Khaled because he has a good tache and I like that shade of purple on the album sleeve and the interior of his car. 2/5

niet per se mijn smaak 😭😭

Ik kan me heel goed voorstellen dat als je je in deze cultuur bevindt, het echt een BANGER album is. Ik vind het zelf erg leuk om te luisteren naar muziek uit landen waar ik de taal niet ken. Dat gezegd is dit niet iets wat ik de hele dag zou luisteren of op zou zetten bij een feestje (ondanks de feestelijke vibe)

Dit was een verassing! Wat een energie!

Nice music

not for me... nothing new

Sikkert fett hvis du e fra Algeria, men føle denna har komt til feil publikum. Synd, for tror da finnes bedre arabisk musikk der ute. Og Imagine-coveren va ganske fæl

Actually quite nice. Very cultural. Idk what language it is but i assume arabic. Sometimes they sing in French or a bit of English here and there. Impressive vocals and an interesting listen. The cover of imagine is a nice touch. 3/5

Ik genoot oprecht best wel hard, vooral van de meer disco tracks. Underrated tbh

I dont understand the lyrics i wouldn't listen to it for myself. Would be okay i guess If heard out and about (1 or 2 Songs, the whole Album is a bit too much for me)

Never heard of this artist before. It was pretty good. They do a lovely version of Imagine.

There were a lot of moments throughout that I enjoyed with the instrumentals.

running into this with a dirth of relevant knowledge ofc but the arrangements on here do definitely seem extremely extremely western, rly nothing that doesnt make me feel at home! and besides that, uve got an absolutely towering and dexterous voice at the center of everything...running and climbing around the expansive and interestingly sculpted playgrounds that are the songs, which offer just so much time and space to absolutely everything...definitely one respect in which it feels a lot less western, and all the better for it. beautiful stuff thats also deep in the funk, inexplicably low rym rating idk whats wrong w/ ppl ghjshdgjsd

Not my cup of tea.

This was the first album I’ve pulled that wasn’t streaming on Spotify and it was such a bummer. I don’t know Arabic or have ad free YouTube, so I had to constantly be consulting the track listing, making sure I found the video with the correct version and then watch three ads before I got to a song. For an hour+ album I wanted to make sure I was in the right mood to put forth that effort which made me get behind on this list by a week. I finally did it today, and while there were some songs I enjoyed (Trigue Lycee and Ya Aâchkou probably stood out the most), there were others I couldn’t find and it was an overall degraded experience by needing to listen to it on YouTube. Happy to revisit if you decide to put the album on Spotify, Khaled!

I thought it was pretty interesting at first, but that faded as it went. I also thought it was longer than necessary. A fun listen, though! 3.5

4/5. It feels like a time capsule of previous phases of Western music but was honestly quite enjoyable. Just some fun upbeat pop music in a language I don't understand but the vocal melodies work really well with the disco and pop tracks. I also heard some Latin influence as well in some songs. It feels like a Jack of All Trades record and I'm here for it. It was enjoyable and fun, not many complaints except for maybe some of the more ballad-esque songs. Best Song: El Harba Wine, El Bab, Aâlach Tloumouni

124/1089 - Neat! I'm completely unfamiliar with this, excited to listen. After listening, it's pretty westernized (drum beats mostly except for one of the last songs) and kinda doesn't go anywhere. Good voice though.

I liked the groove of this one, except for the Imagine cover, as others have mentioned. Maybe not something I'd listen to regularly, but I enjoyed it.

loved this one but imagine took me out

Discovering not only a new artist but an entire new genre here...

Only 5% of the 8 billion people on this planet are native English speakers. I really enjoyed this. I had to find it on YouTube, when I was done I listened to some other of his albums from around the same time. I don't have a reference point as to whether it's good or not, I do know that I liked it.

Didn't see this one coming. Not bad. Totally different from anything else I've heard on here so far. Again, I am glad I listened, but I wouldn't even choose to listen again.

Couldn’t get this album but liked his other stuff

I FUCKING LOVE ALGERIAN POP MUSIC WOOOOOOO THE LIST NEEDS MORE OF THIS!!! The beats are fucking fantastic by the way

Unfortunately do not understand Arabic but there was range shown in the music on the different tracks and this guy seems pretty talented. Won’t re-listen, but was a good once through and was definitely different than anything I have had yet

I love the variation on this record in terms of content, tone, and language. The Arabic stuff still hits the hardest. Did not care for his John Lennon cover. I’ll come back to it. Rai is a cool genre I wasn’t aware of beforehand.

Interesting album , at least what I heard on YouTube since it wasn’t on Spotify. The version of Imagine was great.

Maybe it's a cultural thing. Awful. Like a dismal X-factor reject.

Not on spotify, listened to the first song on youtube, dont think im missing much

This sounds good, I like it even though obviously I don't understand the lyrics as I don't speak arabic. Fuck "Imagine" though, this may have been 4 stars if not for that. With this not on Spotify, I'm not sure if I listened to it 100%, but definitely got enough of the songs to count it in my book.

I don't speak the language, but the catchy, late-night Mediterranean energy and blend of North African beats with '90s production felt like a fresh change of pace. At 80 minutes, it gets a bit repetitive, but it was a fun way to step outside my usual comfort zone.

Imagine… if it was way worse.

Cool brass and a big blend of all of the world's music.

Not available

I generally don't listen to any Middle Eastern music, it reminds me too much of the background music in M.E. restaurant. The first time through I wasn't too focused on the songs and rode it off as something I didn't care for, but I listened to it a second time (usually if I can't figure out an opinion) and it was better. It's a fun listen for what it is and there was much to like, or at least, it was enjoyable enough to listen to it all. Still not my style, but this could be worth exploring more, in a proper state of mind.

Favorite Track: Aalach Tloumouni

3.5

I feel like I've heard this absolutely shit faced in the back of an Uber at 3 in the morning.

This isn't BAD bad, but it was so far out of my comfort zone, as someone who mainly listens to western music. Definitely not 1 star, but 2 star just because it's not really my type of music. Arabic John Lennon made me laugh tho

The fact that this is on here is so funny puts it up to a 2, the imagine cover makes it a 3 but I couldn’t finish the album because it’s an hour twenty long so who knows it could’ve been a 5 star

Listen to about half of it, not my thing. But it’s all right, 1/5

This album isn’t on Spotify. But since I don’t speak Arabic what’s it matter? I listened to another one. He’s like the Algerian Bad Bunny.

While some songs have catchy rhythms to them I just can't get in to it at all. While I listened through all the songs I think the singing being in a language very different from mine made it a bit less enjoyable. To me the singing wasn't on beat and very harsh in songs where it didn't fit at all.

The album cover is splendid, the rest must be highly effective at weddings, but does not move me in the living room. It’s happy, unchallenging party music. His voice is great, mind.

Almost had a heart attack, thought I was being forced to listen to DJ Khaled! I can only echo the other reviewers - interesting listen in parts, sounds just like a taxi in southern Europe, you lost me at "Imagine"..

# Album Name: Kenza # Artist: Khaled # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Kind of reminds me of being in an indian restaurant. i know i know, this is not from india. But thats what it reminds me of. Music was OK. something different for sure. But the length was too much. It just went on and on. It would be doable if it was 30-40 mins. But an hour 20 is way too much. Plus a butchered version of imagine gives this one a 2. # Top Tunes: Aalach T / Cest la nuit # Would I listen to it again? No

Didn’t really listen through as had a busy day and Algerian music wasn’t quite going to make the day go much better unfortunately. 4/10.

ekki fyrir mig, vakti þó upp skemmtileg hugrenningartengsl. er blanda af norður-afrískri/miðjarðarhafstónlist og raftónlistartrommutöktum tímabilsins. ábyggilega gott til síns brúks en lítill heimstónlistarmaður.

It’s fair to say I didn’t have high hopes for this - nearly an hour and twenty minutes of Algerian pop, with an average rating of around 2.5 on the site. However, it comfortably exceeded those hopes. It’s not great by any stretch, but it’s also not bad at all. I suppose the 2.5 score is probably about right, as it is very ok, but I’m going on the high side of it.

Pretty cool, the mix was very interesting. Glad to be exposed to it.

Honestly, couldn't get through it. 1/5

I think I tend to rate things too high when they're in genres I'm unfamiliar with. I read a couple of the other reviews and one referred to it as "standard issue for all cab drivers" which is hilarious and very accurate. Very enjoyable listen but not something that I'd regularly come back to.

Reminds me of when I spent too much time hanging in my friend's uncle's Moroccan bar. They loved Cheb Khaled there.

Interesting! Not the kind of thing I would have discovered on my own so I appreciated this album

always psyched to see something outside of the anglosphere on this list. this was fun, but unfortunately the late-90s-ass production really holds this back. it's introduced me to raï music though, and i'm looking forward to digging into the genre.

No va

Tracks I've liked at least instrumentally 1,2,5, 11 won me back after a long time of midtempo tracks there are songs where the rip of the audio skips, but thats on the ripper itself not the artist will I listen to this album after this review? most likely not... I would erase the Imagine cover, way too long too. 3/10

4/10 This album not being made available anywhere online except for low quality fan uploads on YouTube despite Khaled having millions of listeners on streaming was sort of a bad sign already. Also it’s over an hour long, already pushing it, was just kind of hoping the catchiest stuff on here would drown out the filler but nah. This list has a bad tendency of the authors picking non-western records based off name alone without really looking into these artists, I have no clue if this was because of recency bias or if they just spun a wheel and picked a random record from this dude’s catalog, because I can see he literally has much more acclaimed and popular records than this. I know acclaim and popularity also resorts to it being appealing to western audiences but I still don’t think that’s an excuse when there’s more essential records from Algerian artists (including from Khaled) than this, this can’t be a record you must listen to before you die if Khaled didn’t care enough about it to even post on streaming lol Thank you 480p uploads from over a decade ago.

Het is niet dramatisch, maar ik kan er echt niet naar luisteren

Fun songs with a neat middle east flavor, however the style of singing isn't something I've really been exposed to and feels like a taste I haven't acquired

Algerian shit

OK.

Really funky, although I need to listen a few more times to appreciate some of the duo vocal more than the first pass.

Pretty chill honestly. Why did he do imagine though hahaha

Rather fun

Definitely a genre of heard in various kebab or middle eastern sweet shops. Like a few other people, I preferred it when it went less euro pop, although that's not what Khaled and presumably his audience wanted, and raises lots of questions about authenticity and who values it. Anyway, interesting enough and had a few good songs, do gets a 3.

It’s alright, and I like that it’s different from the others on the list. I still don’t get that much out of it, though, and it’s only on YouTube, which doesn’t lower my rating but still.

Could not Stream it.

Another album not on Apple Music. Listened on YouTube and I’ll never listen to it voluntarily again but I did enjoy it. “Imagine” was a surprise and as most “Imagine” covers, well done.

2.5/5 Pleasantly surprised by this album. Not an album I would buy or listen to in my free time, but it does put a smile on my face. First Arabic album I ever listened to. It has a lot of variety, from more classic Arabic to pop and almost electronic music. I forgive him for ruining imagine, because the rest of the album was good. Favourite song: - Ya Aachkou

Vet hoor. Niet helemaal mijn ding. Maar wel top

Very chill album, though it was very long. Wish I knew more of why this was chosen to be on this list. It sold well enough, but I wouldn't consider this an unknown gem or anything.

Pre-listening thoughts: once again always skeptical of the world submissions on this list. But hey, if nothing else, they’re a starting point since this is a genre I never really seek out. Post/during listening thoughts: well this isn’t on Spotify and I can’t even really find a good version on YouTube but the few tracks I was able to find are lowkey really gas. Actually bummed this isn’t on Spotify. Why the fuck is there an imagine cover shoehorned into this album. 6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: prolly not Fav tracks: see idk if I’ve even got the right track names on these janky ass YouTube videos bro 😭 whatever Least fav tracks:

Every now and then, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die throws in a record from outside the usual focal points, i.e. America, the UK, Europe. Sometimes these selections turn out to be hidden gems that expand your musical worldview. Other times, they feel like obligatory inclusions, as if someone flipped through an atlas and thought, We need more from [insert region here]. Khaled’s Kenza, released in 1999, lands somewhere in the middle. It didn’t feel like a revelation, the kind of album that reshaped my listening habits, but it had enough compelling moments to make it worth the time at leas t once. The opener, Aâlach Tloumouni, immediately stands out, Trigue Lycee is a highlight, and Mele H’bibti is genuinely thrilling. The album’s most criticized moment is the cover of Imagine, and while the song itself is forgettable, the linguistic mix—sung in Hebrew and Algerian—is the more interesting takeaway. In 1999, a more optimistic time, this must have felt like a symbolic gesture. But in hindsight, it’s hard to see how either artist benefited beyond reinforcing their existing audiences. What ultimately holds Kenza back is its balancing act between authenticity and accessibility. Raï, a genre born in Algeria that blends Arabic, French, and Berber influences with jazz, funk, and rock, has always thrived on fusion. But here, the pop and funk elements feel more like a play for Western attention than a natural evolution of the sound. There’s still plenty to enjoy, but it’s not the landmark Raï album I need to be listening to. Still infinitely better than DJ Khaled.

Not sure why this made the list, the album isn't bad, but just as with some other albums from different cultures, my stance is that you either put at least one album from every culture in the world, or just don't include any if they aren't musically relevant. This sounds similar to folk music from my country, interesting little melodies, predictable song structure and chord progressions, and emotional lyrics talking about the struggles of the common man, sung with much vibrato. Songs sound pretty similar and nothing stands out of the mold, except Imagine perhaps. All in all, I'm still glad I listened to the album, it's something new and I appreciate new experiences, but just not sure if it's worth a spot on the list. But then again, it's a matter of do you want diversity or pure quality on the list, which is a subjective decision in the end.

This is exactly the type of thing I signed up for. An artist I've never heard of and would never have listened to normally. I'm not sure what style of music this actually is but it sounds like an Arabic and Latin mash pop to me. Certainly interesting and enjoyable. The cover of Imagine threw me, but I'm glad it came early as I found myself liking the album more and more as it progressed.

The first track set the standard so high, then this went on sounding like early 90s “adult contemporary” pop and never recovered.

Could not find

Good overall. Didn’t know a word that was said. Sounds like a turn of the century album. Difficult to find the tracklist on YouTube.

That was cool. It's not often I get a non anglo album on this project.

Bangerifico

This album was a nice surprise. A little long and a bit cheesy in some spots. I'd listen to it again. Loved the voice and intonation.

Tricky to rate! There were some bits I really enjoyed, and I liked the overall vibe - but some bits were pretty ordinary and felt dated. Mele Hebibti was my favourite. Imagine was a cover I never knew I didn't need! From the perspective of needing to listen to it before I die - I'm happy I heard it.

Not my taste